Appearances (or Love at 1001st Sight)
by cyberwulf
Summary: Formerly "Appearances". Buffy discovers things aren't always what they seem. **2 new chapters added**
1. Chapter 1

Title: Appearances (or Love at 1001st Sight) 1/3

Author: Cyberwulf

Rating: PG

Summary: Buffy learns that things aren't always what they seem. 

Spoilers: Set in season 5, but no specific ones.

Disclaimer: It's all Joss's, except the plot.

Distribution: You want it, it's yours, just tell me where it's going.

Feedback: Feed the Wulf! cyberwulf_1andonly@yahoo.co.uk

Author's Note: For the purposes of this story, assume that somewhere along the line, Buffy passed a driving test. 

   " I can't believe Mom actually let you drive her car," Dawn remarked.

   " Hey, now that I've got my licence, she's got no reason to say no," Buffy replied. She frowned. " Except for that one time with the candy when I almost totalled it, but that wasn't all my fault . . ."

   Buffy began to slow down as they approached the mall. She scanned the parking lot, spotted a space and set about manoeuvring the SUV into it.

   " Are you sure you can do this?" Dawn asked nervously. They seemed very close to the car on her side.

   " No problem," Buffy replied. She adjusted the rear-view mirror . . . and suddenly spotted something ahead of and to the left of her.

   " Check out the hottie," she breathed. Dawn looked. A guy in blue jeans was bent over a car that appeared to have stalled in the parking lot. He'd popped the hood and was examining the engine. The only parts of him visible were his legs, his rear, his arms and part of his back. 

   " That is such a cute butt," Buffy remarked, unaware that she was continuing to back up. Dawn's squeal of " Buffy!" was followed instantly by the tinkle of breaking glass. 

   " Oh no," Buffy murmured. She moved the jeep forward a little, switched off the engine, and both girls hopped out. They walked around to the back of the vehicle and surveyed the damage. 

   " Mom is gonna KILL me," Buffy moaned.

   " Look on the bright side," Dawn told her. " You only smashed one tail light. I'd say you got off easy, considering you backed into a wall."

   " Tell that to Mom," Buffy said, gazing woefully at the shards of glass and plastic on the tarmac.

   " Buffy!" 

   The sisters looked up as Giles jogged up to them. 

   " I heard a crunch," he continued. " Are you both all right?"

   " Giles?" Buffy said, dumbfounded. " Where did you spring from?"

   He turned and gestured towards the stalled car, now deserted.

   " I was just over there," he explained, " helping a friend of mine with her car, and when I heard the noise and saw that you'd just pulled in, I thought . . ."

   " Oh my God," Buffy gasped in horror. She covered her rapidly reddening face with her hands and prayed for the Hellmouth to swallow her up. 

   " Buffy?" Giles asked in confusion, but was suddenly distracted by Dawn, who unexpectedly collapsed into hysterics. 

   " Oh my GOD!" she howled. " You were checking out his BUTT!" Seeing Giles' perplexed expression, Dawn elaborated. " She was parking the car, and everything was going fine, and then she saw this real hot guy bent over THAT car," she pointed, " and she was all like, 'Man, what a cute butt,' and she got so distracted that she CRASHED the car, and then it turns out it was YOUR butt!" Dawn almost collapsed and had to lean against the jeep, shaking with laughter. 

   " This is SO embarrassing," Buffy moaned. Tentatively, she looked up at Giles. His eyes had turned hard and his mouth was set in a grim line. 

   " I see," he said coldly, and walked back to his friend's car. 

   " Giles, wait!" Buffy called after him, but he didn't turn around. She glared at his retreating back. Great. She turned her attention to her still-giggling sister.  

   " I can't believe you were checking out GILES!" Dawn cackled. She attempted to screw up her face in disgust, but she was laughing too much to pull it off. " He's like, what, fifty? Gross much, Buffy?"

   " I thought you came here to shop," Buffy snapped. Instantly, Dawn stopped laughing and directed a surly glare at her sister. 

   " Fine," she spat. She grabbed her bag from the back seat of the jeep and stormed into the mall. With a sigh, Buffy locked the jeep. She looked up and saw Giles give his friend a wave as she drove out of the parking lot, mechanical problem solved. He made his way over to his own car. Buffy sprinted towards him. 

   " Giles?" He didn't look at her. Buffy bit her lip. " Look, I, I'm sorry about Dawn." He leaned into his convertible and took out a leather jacket. " B-but, you gotta admit, it is pretty funny . . ."

   He turned suddenly and Buffy took a step back when she saw the expression on his face. 

   " Yes, I find it highly amusing that I get snickered at," he hissed. He turned away again and furiously polished his glasses. " Not to mention the fact that you're obviously utterly mortified to discover you were looking at MY ancient backside."

   " No – Giles, it's not like that," Buffy replied. " The cringe factor had absolutely nothing to do with you." 

   He looked at her disbelievingly.

   " Well, okay, kinda," Buffy admitted, then added in a rush, " but not – not because I was looking at YOU, more that you found out I was looking – and that I got distracted by – I mean –" She took a deep breath and looked up at him. " Can I start over?"

   Giles leaned against his car and put his glasses back on. 

   " All right," he replied, folding his arms. 

   " Okay," Buffy began, wrapping her arms around herself. " Okay. It's like . . . well, I was parking Mom's jeep, y'know, just an everyday thing, nothing out of the ordinary, and then I look up and I see this guy bent over a car. And he's got a really cute butt. It's so cute that I can't take my eyes off it. All I can think about is –" She felt her face fill with heat. " – is how much I wanna squeeze it." He blushed. Buffy continued, unable to look at him. " And I was so distracted I ended up backing into a wall and smashing a tail light." She glanced up at him, then focussed on the ground. "And then it turns out that the guy with the cute butt is you."

   " Ah," Giles replied stiffly. " So you liked my backside but were put off when you saw my withered old face, then."

   " No!" Buffy replied indignantly, glaring up at him. " And your face is not withered!" He'd taken off his glasses and was playing with them nervously. Buffy wrapped her arms tighter around herself and looked at the ground again. " It's just . . . it's just that you're my – my Watcher. One of my best friends. And usually you're all in tweed or suits or – or just really loose clothes and . . . and then it turns out that you've got this really nice butt and . . ." 

   She looked up again, and her eyes met his.

   " And?" he prompted gently. 

   " And it's confusing," she said softly. She bit her lip. " Are you still mad?"

   Giles tried very hard to keep the stern look on his face, but the beginnings of a smile were tugging at the corners of his mouth. He looked away and she could see he was trying not to laugh. He looked back at her and smiled properly. 

   " No, I suppose not," he sighed. 

   Buffy grinned.

   " So what are you doing here?" she asked. " You're not normally Mall Guy."

   " I need to pick up some new guitar strings," Giles replied. " And get my leather jacket dry-cleaned." He waved the jacket slightly. 

   " Wanna help me find Dawn?" Buffy asked. " Maybe help carry all her bags? And pay for lunch?"

   " Are you sure I wouldn't be cramping your style?" Giles replied. 

   " Nuh-uh," Buffy assured him with a shake of her head. She took his arm and added mischievously, " Besides, you have to come home with us and help me explain to Mom just how I got so distracted."


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Appearances (or Love at 1001st Sight) 2/3

Author: Cyberwulf

Rating: PG

Summary: Buffy's learned that things aren't always what they seem. What's she going to do now?

Spoilers: Set in season 5, but no specific ones. Oh, except Riley's out of the picture.

Disclaimer: It's all Joss's, except the plot.

Distribution: You want it, it's yours, just tell me where it's going.

Feedback: Feed the Wulf! cyberwulf_1andonly@yahoo.co.uk

Author's Note: For this chapter, could you all mentally snip out the part of season 5 where Joyce gets ill and dies, and the bit about Glory trying to kill the gang? Thanks. S5 would be so much easier to set fic in if all this sad stuff didn't happen. It's almost as if Joss made a mistake . . .

   Buffy and Giles scanned the crowds of people inside the mall. 

   " Do you see Dawn anywhere?" Giles asked. 

   " Nuh-uh, but I have a pretty good idea where to look for her," Buffy answered. She turned and gazed up at Giles. " You go take care of . . . whatever you gotta take care of, and we'll meet up in the food court, say one o'clock?"

   " Till one o'clock, then," Giles replied with a brief smile. He turned and headed off towards the dry-cleaner's. Buffy watched him go, her gaze lingering on a certain part of his anatomy that had caught her attention just minutes earlier. She shook herself when she realised what she was doing.

   *My Watcher! I'm OGLING my WATCHER! What the hell is wrong with me? He's – he's Giles! I'm not supposed to do this! Oh God, what if he looks back and notices me looking at him?* Buffy turned her head away, a blush creeping over her face. *This is all his fault.* She felt like stamping her foot. *Why does he have a cute butt? He's not supposed to have a cute butt!*

   " Who's not supposed to have a cute butt?"

   Buffy almost jumped when she heard Willow's voice behind her. She turned around.

   " Musta thought that last part out loud," she said sheepishly. " Hi Tara."

   The blonde witch gave her a nervous smile. 

   " So?" Willow pressed, an impish grin on her face. " Who's not supposed to have a cute butt?"

   Buffy felt her face get redder.

   " Giles," she groaned, and proceeded to tell them what had happened in the parking lot.

   " And now I just can't stop thinking about it," Buffy finished. " I'm totally confused."

   " I'm surprised you never noticed before," Willow told her. She got a goofy look on her face. " I've known Giles has a cute butt since high school. I used to have such a crush on him back then." She lowered her voice. " Sometimes, I used to follow him around hoping he'd squat down to get a book off one of the lower shelves, because then I'd get a really good view . . ." She spotted the looks the other two were giving her. " Uh, but that was a long, looong time ago, and I'm completely over it now," she added hastily. 

   Buffy frowned. " Didn't he ever notice you were looking at him?"

   " No," Willow replied, suddenly puzzled. " He never notices when women are checking him out."

   " Women check him out?" Buffy asked in disbelief.

   " All, all the time," Tara answered, nodding. " He passes them by and they, they straighten up and . . ."  

   " Leer," Buffy finished, unaware of the scowl that had settled on her face.

   " Not – not leer," Willow said quickly. " Leer is such a . . . a strong word with all those, uh . . ." She looked to Tara for help. " All those –"

   " Lecherous," Tara prompted.

   " Lecherous – connotations," Willow agreed. " They don't 'leer', they just sort of, uh, appreciate . . ."

   " Appreciate," Tara finished. They gazed fearfully at Buffy, hoping they had averted the storm. Buffy looked at them both, snapping out of her reverie.

   " Huh?" she asked. Tara and Willow exchanged glances. Buffy suddenly spotted Dawn weaving through a bunch of other shoppers. 

   " Listen, guys, we're meeting in the food court at one o'clock for lunch," she said quickly. " Wanna join us?"

   " Sure," Willow replied. Buffy darted away to catch up with Dawn. Willow looked at Tara and shrugged. 

   Dawn was a bit snarky at first, but gradually her mood improved after Buffy apologised for yelling. The two wandered around the mall, Dawn lingering at makeup counters and trying on clothes Joyce would never let her go out in, but Buffy's mind was somewhere else. Or perhaps on someone else.

   They got to the food court a little after one. Giles was already waiting. Buffy felt her stomach tighten. 

   " Punctual as always," she quipped, but it came out a little strange. Giles didn't seem to notice. 

   " Shall we get lunch?" 

   " Uh, Willow and Tara are meeting us, too," Buffy told him, taking in his long, muscular frame as he leaned on the railing. Had he always looked so . . . well put together? " If, if that's okay . . ."

   " I think you just want to stick me with the bill," Giles replied. Buffy noticed how he smiled with his eyes, rather than his mouth, and blushed at his good-natured teasing. He frowned, noticing her heightened colour. " Buffy? Is everything all right?"

   " Sure! Sure, everything's fine!" Buffy replied, too loudly and perkily. "Absolutely Buffirific!" 

   Giles gave her a strange look.

   " Hey Giles!" 

   His attention was drawn to the approaching Wiccas, and Buffy seized the opportunity to turn away and cringe. *Buffirific? What the hell was THAT?* She turned back around and saw Willow giving her a knowing look while Tara spoke to Giles. *Sure, Giles, everything's fine. Except I feel like I just made a total idiot of myself in front of a really hot guy. Who happens to be you. And you're not supposed to make me feel like that.* She trailed after the others into the food court.

   Willow, Tara and Dawn were sitting at a table intended for four. Giles pulled out the remaining chair and invited Buffy to sit down.

   " Who says chivalry is dead?" Buffy said with a nervous laugh. Giles turned away to get a chair from a nearby table, and Buffy noticed Tara and Willow nudging each other. Willow gave her a wink. Buffy glared at her. Dawn, oblivious to all this, was studying the menu. Giles squeezed in next to Buffy, accidentally brushing his leg against hers. Buffy felt a tingle zip through her at his touch and flinched away. 

   " Sorry," Giles remarked. 

   " Uh – that's all right," Buffy replied, stumbling over the words. She grabbed the menu, ignoring Dawn's indignant " Hey!", and began reading it furiously. Giles stared at her, then looked across the table. Willow was struggling to keep a straight face, while Tara was half-turned away and gazing at a point on the floor. Giles frowned. There was definitely something peculiar going on.

   Over lunch, while Dawn, Willow and Tara talked, Buffy concentrated on eating, eyes fixed on her plate. Giles tuned out the chatter about the girls' purchases and college, more interested in Buffy's silence. It wasn't like her not to take part in a conversation. He wondered if she was still bothered by what had happened in the car park. At first, he'd thought that she was making fun of him, but her explanation had mollified him a little. To tell the truth, he'd actually been quite flattered that she'd been admiring his body. Such a pity she'd taken him for a stranger at the time. He often wished Buffy would look at him the way he looked at her. The pretty, outspoken, stubborn girl who had walked into his library over four years ago had grown into a beautiful, strong, courageous, determined young woman, and during that time his love for her had grown, too – exceeding duty, fondness, friendship and fatherly love. He wanted so much to take her in his arms and confess his feelings. But that could never be. He knew where he stood with her – firmly in the category of old and past it. At least she wasn't ashamed to be seen in his company.

   Buffy looked up from her food and caught him staring at her. She gave a tiny, nervous laugh.

   " Are you sure everything's all right?" Giles asked gently.

   " Yeah!" Buffy answered. " Sure! Everything's great!"

   " Buffy," Giles replied. Buffy recognised his 'you can't fool me, young lady' voice. She took a deep breath.

   " Well . . . actually . . ." She trailed off and stared at the tabletop.

   " Are you worried about your mum's car?"

   " Yeah," Buffy said quickly. " Yeah, that's it. I'm worried she's really gonna freak." She noticed that they'd all finished their meals. " Well, uh, if we're all done, Dawn and I should really get going."

   " Tara and I have to go too," Willow added. The five stood up and began to gather their things. They headed out of the food court, towards the parking lot. Willow and Tara walked together, while Giles walked with the Summers girls. Well, to be precise, he walked with Buffy. Dawn hung back a bit, a little grin on her face.

   " Do you still want me to help you explain the accident to your mother?" Giles asked. Buffy looked up at him, noticing the crinkles that formed at the corners of his eyes when he was happy or amused, and felt herself turning pink. She looked away and fiddled with a stray strand of hair that had found its way out of her ponytail.

   " No, that's okay," she replied awkwardly. " I'm a big girl, I can manage."

   Giles gave her shoulder a squeeze, and Buffy felt a warm glow spread through her body. " I'm sure you'll be fine."

   They had reached the parking lot, and Joyce's SUV. Buffy watched as Giles headed over to his convertible. She couldn't believe how much that touch on the shoulder had affected her. But then Giles had always been able to comfort her with the slightest of gestures, sometimes even more than Xander could with one of his bear hugs. She wished suddenly that she and Giles hugged more often.

   Dawn sidled up to Buffy, smirking. She'd probably learned it from Spike, Buffy thought. 

   " You sure you'll be okay to drive, Buffy?" Dawn asked innocently. " Or will you be too busy mooning over your new boyfriend?"

   Buffy shot her a glare, and unlocked the car. Dawn climbed into the passenger seat. Buffy got in on the other side and started the engine. The first half of the journey passed in silence, broken only by the tinny sound of the stereo. 

   " So," Dawn said suddenly, " when're you gonna bring him home to Mom?"

   Buffy nearly swerved into a parked car.

   " Dawn!"

   " Or will it be a secret relationship," Dawn continued, " all romantic trysts at the old folks' home –"

   " Dawn, shut up," Buffy growled.

   " Oh, I struck a nerve!"

   " Shut . . . up!"

   " Buffy lo-oves Gi-iles," Dawn sang quietly.

   " Do you wanna get out and walk?" Buffy asked.

   " I didn't say anything," Dawn replied innocently. " Must be your imagination."

   Buffy turned the jeep into their driveway. She parked the car and glared over at her sister.

   " Dawn, I swear, if you go around saying Giles is my boyfriend –" 

   Dawn was already scrambling out of the car towards Joyce, who was watering the front lawn.

   " Hey Mom!" she yelled. " Guess what happened to us today!"

   " DAWN!" Buffy tried to follow her, and was unceremoniously snapped back in her seat by the seatbelt. She disentangled herself and got out of the driver's door. " Dawn, don't you dare –"

   The Slayer halted as Joyce approached the vehicle, staring at it in disbelief.

   " Young lady, what exactly have you done to my car?"

---

   Buffy lay in bed, staring discontentedly at the ceiling. Her Mom had spent most of the evening teasing her, and when Buffy'd asked her to stop, Joyce changed tack, going on about how she understood how Buffy could get distracted, after all Giles *was* a very attractive, very sexy man, at which point Buffy had begged her not to say any more, swearing she'd get a job so she could pay off the damage to the car as fast as possible. Buffy frowned and glared at the ceiling. They all thought it was a big joke. None of them seemed to realise that her world order had just been profoundly disturbed. A mere twelve hours ago – that very morning at training, in fact – Giles had been, well, just that: Giles – her Watcher, her mentor, her friend. Her much older, stuffy, British friend. 

   Who, it turned out, had quite a nice ass. 

   Buffy rolled onto her side and groaned quietly. She'd always been vaguely aware that Giles was a man, in that he definitely wasn't a woman, but she'd never thought of him as a . . . guy. Not even as the kind of guy who, though not her type, other women might find attractive. She thought back to the first time she saw him. Swathed in tweed, horrible brown waistcoat, and glasses with huge round frames, which were hardly flattering. And she remembered what she'd thought, too: great, a librarian. Total book nerd. Suddenly Buffy realised that first impression had coloured her perception of Giles for the past four and a half years. Even though he'd gradually been changing all that time. What had he worn today? Buffy closed her eyes and tried to picture him. There he was . . . soft black shirt, opened a little at the neck to reveal a white T-shirt underneath, blue jeans (she'd never forget THEM), and black shoes. Not a tie or scrap of tweed in sight. Giles in civvies. Civvies that made him look *good*. And buying guitar strings and having a leather jacket dry-cleaned. Giles had a leather jacket? When did that happen? And what else had he been hiding under all those layers of tweed? Buffy groaned and stuck her head under a pillow. She was never going to get to sleep tonight.

---

   Sunday was Buffy's "day off" from training, something she and Giles had agreed on when she'd asked him to be her Watcher again. And Buffy firmly intended to stay at home and avoid seeing him. Maybe these freaky new feelings about Giles were just flukes. Maybe, if she wasn't around him for a while, they'd vanish and he'd just be Giles again. 

   Buffy rolled over and gazed at her alarm clock. Eleven thirty. She should really get up and go to church, but her bed was way too comfortable. Besides, Giles always went to church. Not the same one as she went to, but all the same . . . couldn't take any chances. She'd been surprised that Giles was into religion. She wasn't sure why, but for some reason she'd expected him to be either an agnostic or a pagan. The reason they'd chosen Sunday as No Training Day was that Buffy couldn't decide between Saturday and Sunday, so Giles had picked Sunday. " 'Honour and keep holy the Sabbath Day'," he'd said solemnly. At the time, Buffy'd teased him about not wanting to miss out on his Sunday after-dinner nap. She'd only ever seen Giles asleep a few times, usually after pulling an all-nighter in the library. He looked so cute and peaceful when he slept. All the lines and creases in his face smoothed out. Buffy wondered if Giles sometimes skipped church to sleep in. She wondered if he was having a lie-in this morning. She wondered what he wore in bed . . .

   *Aaagh! Aaagh, no!* Buffy sat up and brought her hands up to her temples. *No! Stop it! Get out of my head!*

   " No, stop, get out of my head?"

   Buffy looked up and saw Dawn, in her pyjamas, staring at her through the doorway. Her sister shook her head despairingly.

   " Man, and I thought I had problems," she drawled, before padding off down the landing.

   Buffy buried her head in her hands.

   " What is it with me and saying my thoughts this weekend?" she moaned. She sighed and kicked off the covers. Her lie-in was ruined. She pushed her bedroom door shut and got dressed, then headed down to the kitchen and got herself a bowl of cereal.

   *Okay, Buff. No more thinking about your Watcher. Your Watcher with the really, really tight bu- no, no. Bad Slayer. Just put Giles out of your head. Think of Wesley.* She shuddered. Better than a cold shower. *Wesley. Wesley. Wesley.* Buffy took a deep breath and let it out. *Calm. See? Wasn't so hard . . .*

   " Hey Buffy," Dawn smirked, coming into the kitchen. " There's a BBC costume drama on tonight. With all those polished British accents you like . . ."

   " Dawn," Buffy warned.

   " Gee, someone's in a bad mood today," Dawn remarked innocently. " Bet you wish it was Monday, don't you?" Buffy gave her a puzzled look. " You know," Dawn clarified. " So you could go to the Magic Box and see Giles and go in the back room with him . . ."

   " Training, Dawn!" Buffy growled. " We train. That's ALL."

   " Oh, I get it," Dawn replied, grinning. She did an atrocious imitation of Giles' accent. " I say, Buffy, let's do some training . . ." She made kiss noises. 

   " That's it!" Buffy snarled, throwing down her spoon. She jumped up and charged at her sister. Dawn squealed and raced into the lounge, Buffy hard on her heels.

   " OW! I'm telling Mom!"


	3. Chapter 3

Title: Appearances (or Love at 1001st Sight) 3/3

Author: Cyberwulf

Rating: PG

Summary: Buffy's learned that things aren't always what they seem. What's she going to do now?

Spoilers: Set in season 5, but no specific ones. Oh, except Riley's out of the picture.

Disclaimer: It's all Joss's, except the plot.

Distribution: You want it, it's yours, just tell me where it's going.

Feedback: Feed the Wulf! cyberwulf_1andonly@.yahoo.co.uk

Monday found Buffy in a bad mood. Not only had Dawn relentlessly teased her all Sunday, she'd had a dream that night in which she and Giles were walking along a beach together. The whole thing had seemed unsettlingly real – she'd felt the sun on her back, the gentle breeze blowing through her hair, her sarong fluttering around her bare legs. She couldn't remember what they'd talked about – probably because Dream-Giles was wearing blue Speedos and nothing else – but for some reason all the dialogue was in Shakespearean English, and it had something to do with a flying dog. Then, at breakfast, Dawn had started again (" Want some *tea*, Buffy? Tea like *Giles* drinks?"), and her mom had joined in ("I could bake you some scones . . ."). To top it all off, she couldn't remember what her last lecture had been about, because the professor had mentioned Darwin at the start of class, which had given her a mental image of all the guys in her life making up man's evolutionary scale. Spike was near the end, barely down out of the trees, knuckles dragging on the ground. Next came Riley, mostly brawn and not much brain. Xander was in there as Homo Habilis, "Handy Man", almost there but not quite, clutching crude stone tools. And finally there was Giles as Homo Sapiens, the pinnacle of evolution, complete with fire, the wheel, a spear, a leopard-print loincloth and – bizarrely – glasses. All in all, Buffy's day was not going well. She stomped into the cafeteria, got some food, and stomped over to an empty table and glared down at her meal. She barely looked up as her best friend sat down opposite her.

   " So," Willow asked, " you think about Giles at all yesterday?"

   " Oh, Will," Buffy sighed. " I couldn't think about anything else. I thought maybe not seeing him for a day would make everything somehow go back to normal, but it didn't!" She pushed her food around on her plate. " It's like, before Saturday, when I looked at Giles, I just saw – Giles. Now I look at him and I see this handsome, well-built, smart, kind, brave, caring, gentle guy, and I can't believe I never saw it before!" Buffy banged down her fork in frustration. " And now I'm totally obsessing. I can't get him out of my mind. It's like there's a spell on me!"

   " He bewitched you with his magic butt!" Willow declared dramatically. Both girls burst into laughter. 

   " So," Willow asked when they had calmed down, " you gonna tell him how you feel?"

   Buffy stared at her friend in horror.

   " I can't tell Giles I'm having . . . snuggly feelings about him!" she replied. " He doesn't feel that way about me, and I'd rather spare myself the embarrassment."

   " How do you know how Giles feels?" Willow asked.

   " Quentin Travers," Buffy answered with a heavy sigh. At Willow's quizzical look, she continued. " When he fired Giles, Travers said that Giles had a father's love for me. His exact words: 'A father's love for the child'."

   " Pfft!" Willow snorted dismissively. " What does Quentin Travers know? What did Giles say?"

   " Nothing," Buffy admitted. " But he didn't exactly rush to deny it, did he?" She pushed away her plate, and glumly rested her chin on her hand. " That's all I'll ever be to him – the little girl he always wanted." She frowned. " Well, more like the little girl who was thrust upon him, stopping him from having a life of his own, and who never listens to him, or appreciates him, and who keeps hurting him, but who he's still kinda fond of . . . I hope . . ."

   " Sure he's fond of you," Willow said earnestly. " He cares about you, Buffy."

   " Great," Buffy sighed miserably. " He cares about me. Caring's good. It's . . . safe and comforting. But . . . part of me wants more than just caring now. And the rest of me is scared and confused and . . ." She sighed again, in frustration this time. " How does it happen, Will? How can you see someone every day for years and then all of a sudden bam! wake up and smell the hottie?"

   " Well, that's what happened with me and Xander," Willow replied. Her eyes widened suddenly and she covered her mouth with her hands. " Uh, which is a really, really bad example, because of all the lying and heartbreak and people getting impaled . . ."

   Buffy gave a small smile.

   " But, a-at least I finally found out what it would be like to be with Xander," Willow went on. Buffy rolled her eyes, guessing what was coming next. " I think you should tell Giles how you feel," the red-head declared. " At least then you won't always wonder."

   " Willow, no," Buffy said firmly. " I'm not telling Giles, and neither are you. It's just easier this way." She picked a French fry off her plate. " I can control myself. Just as long as I'm not alone with him . . ."

   Willow watched as Buffy's expression changed from confident to slow realisation to dawning horror.

---

   " You don't have to go," Willow said as Buffy grimly walked towards the Magic Box. " It's not too late to make up an excuse. Tell him – tell him you're sick. Ooh – tell him you have period pain! Guys are really sympathetic about that . . ."

   " Will, I already acted weird around Giles on Saturday," Buffy replied. " If I suddenly cancel training, he'll know something's up." The girls entered the shop. "It's no big deal. He's just Giles."

   She looked around. Anya was standing by the till, trying to talk to Xander and keep a look-out for shoplifters at the same time. Giles was over by the shelves, talking to a pair of female customers. He was wearing a navy suit, a blue shirt and a stripy tie. Buffy barely heard Xander's " Heya, Buffster!". 

   *Man, he looks really sharp in that suit . . .* Buffy closed her eyes. *He's just Giles,* she told herself firmly. She opened them again. Giles and the two women were deep in conversation. One of them pointed at the lower shelves. Giles squatted down to get something off them. The women stood back a little and Buffy realised they were looking at Giles' ass. A flash of jealously and possessiveness went through her, and she was shocked by its intensity. She turned away and tried to stop scowling. 

   *He's just Giles, he's just Giles, he's just Giles . . .*

   " Ah, Buffy."

   His voice was so near that Buffy started in fright. She turned and looked up at her Watcher.

   " Ready for a spot of training?" Giles asked.

   " Sure," Buffy squeaked.

   " Come on then," Giles declared. " No time to lose."

   He waved his hand in the direction of the training room door, indicating that she go in first. Glumly, Buffy headed for the back of the shop, feeling like a prisoner going to her execution.

--- 

   Buffy looked up as Giles came into the training room, wearing his usual grey cotton sweat pants and white T-shirt. *That shirt's gonna get all see-through from sweat and then I'll be able to see his chest hair and . . .* Buffy turned away and forced herself to concentrate on her stretching. 

   " All right," she heard Giles remark, " I think we'll work with the pads today." Buffy straightened and saw him putting two of the smaller punching pads on his hands. He took up position in front of her. Buffy took a few deep breaths. *Okay. I can do this. I can get hot and sweaty with Giles and not make an idiot of myself . . .* She got into her stance and put her guard up. 

   " When you're ready," Giles told her. 

   Buffy got to work, aiming for the black spot in the centre of the pads. After a few minutes, Giles started to move around. Buffy tried to match his movements, but she was distracted by the way his T-shirt was starting to stick to his increasingly sweaty body, giving her a wonderful outline of his powerful chest. She began to miss her targets. 

   " Come on!" Giles barked. " Harder! Faster!"

   Buffy tried to keep up, but failed miserably. She swung wildly at his hand and missed. Giles cuffed her lightly on the side of the head with the other pad.

   " Ow!"

   " You're not concentrating," he admonished with an angry frown.

   Buffy wiped the sweat off her face and glared back at him. They held each other's gaze for a few moments.

   " What's the matter?" Giles asked gently. 

   " Nothing!" Buffy protested. She mentally kicked herself. *Wow, way to get defensive, Buff.*

   Giles gave her his 'no nonsense' stare. 

   " There's something on your mind, Buffy, and it's affecting your performance. Now let's have it."

   Buffy heaved a sigh.

   " I have this report due in tomorrow," she lied. " It counts towards our final mark, and I'm worried that what I've done isn't any good."

   She looked up at him. He looked back, eyes roving over her face. Buffy tried not to go red as a sense of panic filled her. *He knows I'm lying. He knows there's something more-*

   Abruptly Giles broke eye contact.

   " All right," he sighed. He removed the pads and his glasses. " Let's work on your hand-to-hand."

   Buffy swallowed, trying to quell the butterflies that suddenly filled her stomach. Giles got into a stance and put his guard up. Buffy did the same and they circled each other. Buffy eyed her Watcher. *Look at those muscles. How'd I miss them? Boy, Giles sure is in good shape . . .* She had a sudden mental image of herself, working scented massage oil into his impressive biceps . . .

   He came in hard from the left, taking Buffy by surprise. It was all she could do to hold her own. Giles caught her and attempted a hip throw. Buffy grabbed him as he did so, and they both went down. Buffy rolled over and pinned him. 

   Giles lay under her, panting heavily. Buffy gazed down at him. His mouth was so close to hers . . . She lowered her head, closed her eyes, and pressed her lips against his. They were soft and velvety and salty and warm. Buffy ran her hand over his chest, wishing his T-shirt wasn't in the way so she could caress the hairs beneath it. She broke the kiss and opened her eyes.

   Giles was staring at her in bewilderment.

   " Buffy?"

   " Oh God," Buffy stuttered. The reality of the situation hit her and she scrambled up and away from him. " Oh God. Oh God, Giles, I . . ." She grabbed her jacket from where it was lying on the gym horse. " Sorry!" 

   Giles stared after her as she fled. He could barely believe what had happened. Buffy'd kissed him. Buffy'd kissed him! Buffy'd . . . run off. Giles sat up suddenly. He got to his feet. 

   " Buffy!"

  Xander, Willow and Anya looked up in surprise as Buffy raced past them and out of the shop. 

   " Where's the fire?" Xander called.

   " She looked upset," Willow said anxiously. She turned to Anya. " Did she seem upset to you?"

   Anya shrugged.

   " Where is she?"

   Three heads turned as Giles appeared at the training room door. He saw Buffy disappear past one of the shop's windows. 

   " Never mind," he said, taking off after her.

   Buffy ran as fast as she could down the street, away from the Magic Box. Giles followed, weaving through the pedestrians as best he could. Why had she kissed him? And why had she run away? Uneasy thoughts crept into his mind. What if she was just missing Riley? Worse – what if she'd kissed him for a bet or a dare? Giles shook his head. Buffy would never do something so thoughtless. A sudden chill went through him. Of course she would. She was Buffy. Thoughtless was her middle name. He put on a burst of speed. He had to know the reason, no matter how painful it might be.

   Ahead of him, Buffy sprinted across the street and into the park. Giles ran across the road, ignoring the torrent of abuse from the motorists who had to swerve to avoid him. He hadn't quite caught her up, but he was within shouting distance. 

   " Buffy!"

   Buffy stopped, hearing her Watcher's breathless voice. She crossed her arms and rubbed her forehead. She couldn't face him. She suddenly felt like crying.

   Giles jogged up to her. " Buffy." She didn't move. " Buffy . . ." He reached out and she flinched away. Giles dropped his arm. " Why did you kiss me just now?"

   " I don't know," Buffy answered miserably.

   " I'm afraid I can't accept that, Buffy," Giles replied quietly. " Young women aren't exactly lining up to kiss me, so if you please . . ."

   Buffy whirled around.

   " Okay," she said. " You want an explanation? Try looking in the mirror!" Giles stared at her. " Look at you!" Buffy gestured at his arms. " You have biceps! Why do you have biceps? Why didn't I notice them before?" She looked up at him. " Your eyes, Giles . . . there should be a – a law against you wearing glasses, they're beautiful!" He gazed at her, barely comprehending what he was hearing. Buffy looked at the ground. " Then – we were on the floor and your lips were so close and kissable . . . I just wanted to see what it was like . . ." She sank onto a nearby bench. " Giles, ever since I noticed your butt in the parking lot it's like I'm seeing you for the first time. And I really like what I see. But I don't know what to do about it, because you're still Giles and my Watcher." She sighed. " I'm so confused."

   " Stand up."

   Buffy looked up at him. " What?"

   " Stand up," Giles repeated. " I want to try something. It won't take long." He extended a hand to her. Buffy took it and let him help her up. Giles gently pulled her closer until their bodies were almost touching. He tilted her head up and gazed down into her eyes. Buffy looked up at him with a mixture of nervousness and anticipation. Giles brushed back her hair, then he lowered his head and covered her lips with his. It was a brief, gentle kiss, and when he pulled away Buffy followed, seeking his touch. He kissed her again, sliding an arm around her waist. This time their tongues met, his massaging hers, flicking across the roof of her mouth. Buffy moaned as she lost herself in his taste, his scent, his embrace. Giles broke the kiss briefly to take a breath and then resumed kissing her. He was more intense this time, and now Buffy could taste the passion that burned beneath his calm exterior. Her face filled with heat, her legs turned to jelly and she ran her hands up and down his warm, broad back. Buffy whimpered when he finished kissing her. She leaned her head against his chest, breathing him in. He smelled of old books and Old Spice, tea and sweat and some kind of incense. He had his other arm around her now, caressing her back, holding her to him.

   " Still confused?" he murmured in her ear.

   " Kinda," Buffy replied. She looked up at him. " I mean, you just kissed me like you really meant it . . ."

   He nodded, giving her an uncertain smile.

   " So why didn't you ever tell me you felt that way about me?"

   She heard Giles chuckle, and felt it rumbling in his chest. He grinned down at her.

   " Because," he explained, " ironic as it may seem, I never thought you'd look at me the way you do now." 

   Buffy stared at him for a few seconds, then began to laugh. 

   " Well, I'm really glad I finally wised up to what a great guy I had right in front of me all along," she said at last. " And to think, if your friend hadn't broken down in the parking lot –" She frowned suddenly. " Uh oh. She's not an Olivia-type friend, is she?"

   " Buffy, you've got nothing to worry about," Giles assured her with a smile. "Rosemary Wilson is happily married, she's seventy-six, and she's in my book club."

   " Good," Buffy replied. " Because I want us to try the guy, girl, dating thing." 

   " I think that could be arranged," Giles answered. " How about dinner Friday night?"

   " Dinner's good," Buffy answered. " Pick me up around eight." She stood on tiptoe and kissed him on the cheek, then moved out of his embrace and took his hand. The couple turned and began to head back to the Magic Box.

   Suddenly Buffy stopped in her tracks. 

   " Oh no."

   Giles turned and stared at her. " Buffy, what is it?"

   " How are we gonna explain THIS to Mom?"

The End

-^)--)~ 


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